Coordinated transport robot system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9315367-B2
Application number	US-201414522973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2013
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A coordinated transport robot system according to an embodiment includes: first and second robots each including a mobile unit and a movement control unit; first and second position error absorption mechanisms provided on the first and second robots; an impedance model estimating an external force from the amount of displacement detected by the passive element unit; an external force estimating unit estimating respective external forces acting on the first and second robots based on external forces estimated with a dynamics model and estimated by the impedance model; a compliance model calculating respective position correction amounts of the first and second robots to make an external force zero; and a movement command calculating unit calculating movement commands to the first and second robots based on the position correction amounts. Each of the movement control units control the respective mobile units based on the respective movement commands.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robot system, comprising:
first and second robots each including a mobile unit and a control unit configured to control the mobile unit;
first and second mechanisms provided on the first and second robots, respectively, each of the first and second mechanisms including a panel onto which an object to be placed, a first element unit configured to rotationally move the panel in a first direction and detect an amount of displacement of rotational movement, and a second element unit configured to translationally move the panel in the first direction and detect an amount of displacement of translational movement;
an estimating unit configured to estimate an external force from the amount of displacement detected by the first element unit and estimate respective external forces acting on the first and second robots based on the amount of displacement detected by the second element unit, and the external force estimated by the first element unit; and
a first calculating unit configured to calculate respective position correction amounts of the first and second robots to make an external force substantially zero, the external force being estimated by the estimating unit and calculate movement commands to the first and second robots based on the position correction amounts;
wherein the control units of the first and second robots control the respective mobile units based on the respective movement commands calculated by the first calculating unit.

2. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensing unit measuring a distance and a direction between the first and second robots;
a second calculating unit estimating and calculating a self-location based on values of integrals of movement control amounts of the first and second robots and position information from the control units; and
an evaluating unit estimating a mutual distance between the first and second robots based on the self-location calculated by the second calculating unit and the distance and the direction between the first and second robots calculated by the sensing unit,
wherein the first calculating unit calculates the movement commands to the first and second robots based on the position correction amounts and the mutual distance estimated by the evaluating unit.

3. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a movement control responsiveness model configured to approximate responsiveness from the movement commands and actual movement amounts of the first and second robots,
wherein the first calculating unit corrects the movement commands by using the predicted values of movement amounts calculated by the movement control responsiveness model.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein
the movement control responsiveness model is a self-movement control responsiveness model of the first and second robots, and
the self-movement control responsiveness model is obtained by measuring a response signal generated when the object is placed on the robot system and a movement command value for identification is given to one of the first and second robots.

5. The system according to claim 3 , wherein,
the movement control responsiveness model is an other's movement control responsiveness model of the other robot as opposed to one robot of the first and second robots, and
the other's movement control responsiveness model is obtained from time-series data of a movement command value for the other robot and a self-location of the one robot.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second mechanisms includes:
a first member provided below the panel;
a third mechanism enabling the first member to rotate with respect to the panel about a center of the panel;
a second member provided below the first member;
a third member provided below the second member;
a fourth mechanism causing the first member to translationally move with respect to the second member in a second direction in the first direction;
a fifth mechanism causing the third member to translationally move with respect to the second member in a third direction perpendicular to the second direction in the first direction;
a fourth member fixed to the third member;
a first pair of gonio-stages causing the fourth member to rotate in an arc about a first rotational axis located thereabove, the first pair of gonio-stages being engaged with the fourth member and facing each other;
a fifth member fixed to the first pair of gonio-stages; and
a second pair of gonio-stages causing the fifth member to rotate in an arc about a second rotational axis that is provided thereabove and intersects the first rotational axis at one point, the second pair of gonio-stages being provided on the robot having the corresponding one of the first and second mechanisms, the second pair of gonio-stages being engaged with the fifth member and facing each other in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first pair of gonio-stages are arranged.

7. A robot system, comprising:
a robot including a mobile unit and a control unit configured to control the mobile unit;
a first mechanism provided on the robot, the first mechanism including a panel onto which an object to be placed, a first element unit configured to rotationally move the panel in a first direction and detect an amount of displacement of rotational movement, and a second element unit configured to translationally move the panel in the first direction and detect an amount of displacement of translational movement;
an estimating unit configured to estimate an external force from the amount of displacement detected by the first element unit and estimate an external force acting on the robot based on the amount of displacement detected by the second element unit, and the external force estimated by the first element unit; and
a first calculating unit configured to calculate a position correction amount of the robot to make an external force substantially zero, the external force being estimated by the estimating unit and calculate movement command to the robot based on the position correction amount;
wherein the control units of the robot control the mobile unit based on the movement command calculated by the first calculating unit.

8. The system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a second calculating unit estimating and calculating a self-location based on values of integrals of movement control amount of the robot and position information from the control unit;
wherein the first calculating unit calculates the movement commands to the robot based on the position correction amount.

9. The system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a movement control responsiveness model configured to approximate responsiveness from the movement command and actual movement amount of the robot,
wherein the first calculating unit corrects the movement commands by using the predicted value of the movement amount calculated by the movement control responsiveness model.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein
the movement control responsiveness model is a self-movement control responsiveness model of the robot, and
the self-movement control responsiveness model is obtained by measuring a response signal generated when the object is placed on the robot system and a movement command value for identification is given to the robot.

11. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first mechanism includes:
a first member provided below the panel;
a second mechanism enabling the first member to rotate with respect to the panel about a center of the panel;
a second member provided below the first member;
a third member provided belo

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Ooga Junichiro
• Ogawa Hideki

Classifications

• B66F9/063

  Automatically guided · CPC title

• Y10S901/01

  Mobile robot · CPC title

• G05D1/6985

  using a lead vehicle, e.g. primary-secondary arrangements · CPC title

• G05D1/696

  involving a plurality of vehicles coupled together · CPC title

• G05D2107/70

  Industrial sites, e.g. warehouses or factories · CPC title